What you need to know about roofing

metal roofing

Post navigation

Roof stripping, that is. This is the process of getting rid of the old roof covering material, down to the deck. In the process, if done correctly, you’ll learn a lot of things about what worked on your roof and what didn’t. As all things that are good for you, there are costs and inconveniences involved, aspects which are exploited by those contractors who don’t have your best interests at heart.

What are some of the typical reasons you’re given why leaving your old roof on and going over is/are acceptable? They include:

You’re saving money.

It’s more ecological (no landfill waste!).

It’s more secure.

It provides another layer of protection to your roof.

It’s recommended by the manufacturer.

There’s much less residual mess to clean up.

So many great reasons why you should just leave the old roof on, and go over! And yet, pretty much all of these are false, based on the homeowner’s lack of knowledge of how the roof system is supposed to work, and compounded by the contractor’s desire to get the job done as fast as possible, get paid, and move on. If you are presented with the suggestion that leaving your old roof on is an acceptable strategy, there are a number of things you should be aware of before you agree to this.

Various roof failures, including asphalt shingle blow-off, and premature curling and cracking, has led homeowners to look for more reliable and durable solutions. As such, people often start asking about metal roofing.

Metal roofing continues to be more and more popular, despite its initial cost, because people are getting tired of having roofs that fail much before their warranties expire. The metal product offerings come in a dizzying variety of materials, appearances, textures, colours, and performance. How does one wade through all the sales claims and marketing hype to decide which options are truly the best for you? It helps to remember that there is no product invented by humans that is truly perfect in every circumstance. So the exercise is to find the product whose weaknesses are minimized in your particular circumstances, and whose strong points are fully delivered. It should not be a surprise that proper preparation and installation play a very big role in the final quality of the result. So let’s examine a selection of products and discuss how their weak (and strong) points should be considered in your selection process.

Post navigation

Search on site:

Owner of PRS Roofing Inc., Permanent Roofing Systems, and PRS Consulting. Occasional inventor. Preacher and teacher, with the favorite topic being how to do it right the first time. Technical consultant to many DIY roofing installers.